This has been a horrid start for Derrick Rose. Before the season even began, he dismissed the Pacers. “People say that it’s a rivalry, but I don’t really see it.” Maybe he sees it now; the Pacers are an NBA-best 9-0. The Bulls are 4-3 (1-0 without Rose) and Rose has been their worst player. Yes, their worst.

ESPN’s Hollinger Stats rank Rose the NBA’s 286th-best player through six games. He’s 40th in assists (4.5 average), yet has the fourth-most turnovers (4.2) and shoots 33 percent. He is shooting less than 10 percent on pull-up jumpers, according to SportVU. He’s forcing things, just as he did in the 2011 playoffs. He’s not big enough (6-foot-3) or a good enough shooter to get away with that. Rose won’t be an All-Star again until he trusts his teammates more.

Recruits leave

Why can’t the Illini hire a name basketball coach when Illinois produces some of the best high school basketball talent in the nation? Because you don’t need to be an in-state team to land the best in-state talent. Duke, Kansas, Kentucky, Ohio State, Louisville and North Carolina had ESPN’s top six-rated recruiting classes, and only two of their 16 four- and five-star recruits came from their home state.

Duke, Kansas, Kentucky and Ohio State all signed one of their stars from Illinois. Despite missing out on those home-grown stars, the Illini were slated to have a top-20 class until Louisville native Quentin Snider reneged on a verbal commitment to the Illini to sign with Louisville.

Heisman invite

With Oregon losing to Stanford and Florida State’s Jameis Winston being investigated for alleged sexual assault, NIU’s Jordan Lynch stands a decent chance to get invited to the Heisman ceremony. And after Wednesday’s clutch win over Ball State, Lynch’s most impressive game yet, he deserves to be a finalist. And Johnny Manziel (10 TDs and almost 1,100 yards in Texas A&M’s two losses) deserves to win again, even if he comes off as a jerk.

Must-win games

The Bears and Packers are 5-4, but 10-6 might not even make the playoffs this year; wild-card leaders San Francisco and Carolina are 6-3. The Packers will be OK when Aaron Rodgers returns, but must win Sunday at the Giants. And the Bears must beat the Ravens Sunday to make their last two games (at the Eagles, home vs. the Packers) important.